


figure 8

by azuli



Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: Established Relationship, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-28
Updated: 2015-08-28
Packaged: 2018-04-14 05:18:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,292
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4552113
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/azuli/pseuds/azuli
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Morgan and Reid exchange notes at work. Morgan waits eight months.</p>
            </blockquote>





	figure 8

**Author's Note:**

> rip it's been 3 years since my last fic, but getting back involved in the cm fandom and meeting a lot of lovely people has been a great source of inspiration. i know the passing notes trope has been done a few times before but I really wanted to do my spin on it. you can find me on tumblr [here!](http://parisintrview.tumblr.com)

Originally, Reid would have thought it to be kind of silly, something that kids do.

Around a month ago, he had walked into Morgan's office to grab some markers so he could get to work on a geographical profile, reaching into the drawer when a flash of bright yellow caught his eye. He glanced up, seeing the little post it note peeking out from under his coffee mug he kept on Morgan's desk.  

After reading the " _I like your hair like that. Frames your face well. - D._ " scrawled in black pen on top he actually laughed out loud. He considered it for a minute before glancing out the door into the bullpen. He scanned over the room until he spotted the other agent, walking around with his phone pressed to his ear. He looked back at the note, a small smile on his face before placing it in his drawer. He paused for a second before taking out an old composition notebook.

...

"What are you thinking about?" 

Morgan exhales, idly spinning around in his chair. "Nothing."

Garcia waits, making obnoxious ticking noises over the phone. She speaks up after a few moments. "Right, it usually takes you around five or six seconds to start spilling; it's been, like, over ten. It's pretty serious huh?"

He chuckles softly, mumbling something about her sounding like Reid. 

...

 

Over time, the two agents began to greatly value the continuous trade, treasuring the fact that it was some kind of intimate communication between them while at work. Obviously they knew what to expect and learned to deal with it accordingly, but it was tough at times.

It was tough for Morgan to not lay his hand on the small of Reid's back, rubbing there when Reid became visibly upset at the lack of leads, or when a suspect got off by testing Morgan's patience and self control and Reid has to strain to not reach out and comfort him by gently running his fingers over Morgan's cheek or squeezing his wrist, things that had become almost instinctual by this point.

Reid looks across the round table to watch Morgan as he theorizes about the unsub, mentioning the similarities in height and build of the victims, and he wonders if he'd already seen the note Reid left under his keyboard. Morgan glances at him at a few times, amusement hidden beneath his eyes and Reid sees his answer there.

—

" _Nah, Chinese. We had Thai last time, pretty boy. -D._ " 

Reid pouts at that for a second before flipping the paper over and pulling out a blue pen. 

 " _Okay, fine. But we're watching The Search for Spock. You promised you'd finish the original series. - S._ "

—

Around 8:30 that night, Reid arrived at Morgan's door, carrying General Tso's chicken with vegetable lo mein and a Star Trek DVD. The two of them ended up watching _The Voyage Home_ along with the _The Final Frontier_ before they called it quits for the night, with slight reluctance from Reid. Later on, with messy plates and half empty glasses of Riesling wine surrounding them, they laid together in front of the quiet television, limbs tangled together, Morgan mindlessly running his fingers through Reid's hair. It's every bit of home.

Complete and incomparable.

"You're gonna make me fall asleep."

Morgan laughs, a low and warm sound. "It's 1 am. It's been a long day."

"I know, but-" Reid starts, adjusting himself in Morgan's lap. "-we don't get to do this as often as I'd like to. I like to take advantage of the time we have. I don't want you to stop though."

Reid turns his head to look at him and gives a small smile, and his hair is all mussed up from the teasing. Morgan can't resist it, leaning down to steal a kiss.

—

 _“I need the starshine of your heavenly eyes, After the day's great sun. (Charles Hanson Towne) - S."_ Red ink on top of college ruled notebook paper, written neatly, to Reid's standards anyway.

Morgan smiles, tucking the note deep inside his pocket. Reid quoted poetry a lot, most often when they were in bed in Morgan's apartment, on lazy Saturdays when it was late and dark and everything was quiet apart from Clooney sometimes, chewing on a squeaky toy or something else. Morgan remembers watching him read from one of the many poetry books he owned, shadows from passing cars outside the window highlighting Reid's face while he quoted passages he particularly liked. 

He remembers Reid glancing at him before tucking his hair behind his ears—one of his nervous quirks—and clearing his throat, his mouth lifting up into a smile before speaking. 

_"Teach me to sin... In love's forbidden ways."_

"I like this one already." Morgan grins, catching the blush that creeps up on Reid's cheeks. 

 _"For you can make all passion pure; the magic lure of your sweet eyes. Each shape of sin makes virtue praise."_ Reid continues, voice soft.

Morgan hums, pressing his face into the man's neck, feeling the vibrations of his words. He becomes aware of the rise and fall of his chest, quickening slightly with each brush of his lips just beneath his jawline.

" _Teach me to sin-"_ Reid's breath hitches then, Morgan starting to run his teeth over the skin. _"-Enslave me to your wanton charms. And make me, make me love you._ "

Morgan stops for a moment to hear the next line, noticing the genius' fingers beginning to twitch on the page. 

 _"Make me fire your blood with new desire._ _And make me kiss you—lip and limb."_

Morgan's lips are at the corner of his mouth now, breath warm and just like that the book is forgotten.

Reid turns his head to press their lips together, and the kiss is deep and languid, Morgan licking hot inside his mouth, turning Reid's brain to fog inside his head.

Eventually, Morgan pulls himself on top of him, and starts undoing the buttons on his shirt, kissing down every bit of skin he reveals. Reid grabs the book between them and tosses it on the floor, arousal quickly seeping underneath his skin, and suddenly everything looks the way it does in a dream, surreal and impermanent and trying to put everything into focus, something imaginary. This is how it always is with him, with Morgan. 

Reid sighs, arching as Morgan makes his way down his body, stopping near his navel to suck a mark into the sensitive flesh. -

Morgan is snapped out of the memory by a whiff of French vanilla floating past his nose, and he turns towards the break room. He sees Reid take a sip of coffee, grimacing before reaching into his satchel and pulling out two sugar packets. Morgan huffs out a laugh, turning back to pull out a sheet of paper from the printer.

" _Back at you, pretty boy. Btw, thanks for letting me know where all my Splenda packets are going. x -D"_

...

"Are you kidding?" 

"Pen..." Morgan sighs, leaning his head back onto the linen fabric of the couch. He's tired, and thinks he probably shouldn't have come to see her. Garcia stares at him, arms crossed, and he's amused for a second by the overwhelming amount of red in her attire, down to her frames and he compares it to the way she's been lecturing him for the past, what? Fifteen minutes? Half hour? He closes his eyes; all of a sudden his eyelids feel like they weigh five pounds. The analyst sits down next to him, switching off the television.

"Listen, sugar, I love you, but you've been doing this for _months_. There comes a time when you just gotta suck it up and just... make it happen, you know? You can't keep going around in circles with yourself-" she pauses to bring a finger to Morgan's face, lifting up his eyelid. "Are you listening to me, Derek?"

He smiles at her. "'Course I am, mama. Let's finish the rest of the movie now; is that alright?"

 ...

 _"The weather's been really nice. How about we go to that sushi restaurant you like later on? Sit in the outside cafe? -D."_ Written on bright pink post it paper. Reid notices the pen was running out of ink.

Reid smiles, mind wandering to the thought of spicy tuna and teriyaki rolls and he feels his stomach growl in response. He turns the note over and writes " _Sounds fantastic. - S_ " on the back, while hearing footsteps approach his office. JJ knocks on the open door, walking out from the side. Reid turns toward her, note still in hand.

"Hey, Spence, Hotch needs to speak with us in the conference room for a minute before we give the profile."

Reid nods, discreetly tucking the note in his back pocket. 

He follows her out, and catches Garcia waiting outside the doorway, looking at him expectantly. "Hey," he says.

An awkward couple of moments pass before she finally speaks. 

"Oh, I just... I thought..." she trails off, frowning. "-Nothing. Never mind."

Watching her leave, Reid sees her cross paths with Morgan when she gets down the steps, giving him a death glare before walking off. 

...

 

Morgan looks at the man across from him, watching him pick up a fat sushi roll and put it to his lips, taking those small, dainty little bites he always does but at high speed like a damn chipmunk, getting through one in a few seconds.

"It's not gonna get up and run away from you. Slow down." he teases, grin wide on his face.

"Shut up, Derek," Reid retorts before taking a long sip of his lemonade. 

"You gonna use the chopsticks?"

Reid doesn't even look at him, proceeding to stab his fork into his sashimi. "You know I'm not going to use them, I don't know why you ask every time." Reid's mouth is quirking up although he's trying to keep a straight face and Morgan is hopelessly endeared.

The drone of conversation floats around them while they eat, and Morgan silently thanks the heavens because it's a perfect evening for this, warm and clear with the occasional breeze. The moment feels precious - he can't remember the last time they've been out and right now he wishes time would slow for them. Reid is focusing on something in the distance, chewing slowly now and Morgan thinks about how he always seems to be thinking, perpetually calculating things. Except for some nights alone, times when they were only ones in the world and Morgan could take him apart with just his words, and it was easy for that side of his brain to disappear for a little while. He smiles as he gets deeper into the thought, thanking the waitress as she comes back with their refills.

It's not that long before both of them finish. Morgan makes a comment on how Reid didn't need a carryout box.

After paying and tipping, the two of them walk outside of the restaurant, strolling over to Morgan's SUV. Before pulling the door open, Morgan pauses.

"You wanna go to the river?" he says. 

Reid lifts an eyebrow. "Now?"

"Why not?" Morgan smiles, and his eyes are like honey. "It feels so nice out. We can walk around a little bit, work off some of this sushi. I don't really want to take you home yet if that's okay with you."

The other man smiles, and Morgan feels like the sun is resting inside his chest.

...

 

"What's that, baby?" 

"I said I-" Morgan starts.

"Hold on." Fran interrupts, and Morgan sighs. He hears the sound of the phone being put down. "Sarah! Can you take the lasagna out of the oven for me?"

"Lasagna?" Morgan says, feigning offense. "You made lasagna and you know I won't be there to eat any?"

She makes a sound of amusement, pressing the phone closer to her ear. "I promise I'll make some the next time you come home."

A moment of silence passes between them, and Morgan knows he should let his mother go already; they'd been on the phone for more than an hour, but he knows that once he's off the phone he'll be forced to deal with his thoughts and emotions alone, battling with himself for the rest of the night. He stares at Reid's purple cardigan on the floor beside his bed.

"I don't wanna mess things up." he says finally. "You know how he feels about it."

His mother hums. "I know that you're going to do what you feel is right. Don't be scared. You know how much he loves you; I don't need to tell you that, right? I gotta go, baby. We'll talk soon okay?"

"Okay, Ma." His voice sounds calm to his ears but he feels his stomach tangling up into a knot. "Watch out for Sarah - you know she'll eat the whole lasagna."

...

 

Leaves cover the gravel where they walk, shades of red and green, and the trees hover above them in the same way, branches shaking as a wind passes through. The river sits to the right of them, its waves reflecting the sliver of the moon overhead. It's lovely and Reid finds peace in the perennial endlessness that stretches beyond the river.

Morgan pulls his hand out of his pocket and reaches over to the other man, brushing against his knuckles until he's able to interlace his fingers with Reid's, squeezing tightly. 

Sometimes Morgan reminds Reid of a jean jacket.

"I'm glad we did this," he says. "It's been a while since we've spent this much time out. Together."

"'A while?'" Morgan repeats. "Really? You're not gonna tell me exactly how long it's been?"

Reid rolls his eyes, but tells him anyway. "Three weeks, three days, and fourteen hours."

"Ah." And then Morgan notices Reid's moved closer to him, their shoulders brushing together as they walk. 

He watches him, features ignited by the streetlights above them, and it's a little much sometimes, to look at him. He's stunning, and Morgan doesn't think he's gotten used to it, almost feeling like he should take in fragments of him at a time.

"You're staring." Reid notes, looking down at the pavement. 

He darts his eyes toward him briefly before Morgan smiles. "Yeah," he says simply.

He's silent for a moment, focusing on the feel of Reid's hand in his.

"I love you." he says.

Reid smiles and looks away a bit self consciously, reaching up with his free hand to tuck a strand of hair behind his ear. Morgan keeps his eyes on him until Reid turns his head and meets his eyes, gaze soft and warmth overwhelms him.

"I love you too."

 ...

 

Derek Morgan stands in the living room of his apartment, trying to remember how to breathe. He feels dizzy and certain the walls are moving in toward him, and then he laughs, a sharp huff of air, because he's being ridiculous. He's told himself that for the past eight months though; it doesn't seem to stick. And now everything's too quiet. His breathing sounds too harsh in the hollow emptiness of the room; his heart is racing and he really needs to get it together because he has to be at work in ten minutes. He's been tapping his fingers against his jeans for three straight, standing in the same place for twelve.

He considers waiting. Waiting another day, week, month. After all, he's a master of procrastination, right? Garcia says so. That he pushes things back until he's not able to detect the weight of it in his head, and things get easier that way. Derek Morgan and confrontation don't mix well together.

Before he realizes it, he's grabbing his jacket and keys and heading out the door.

—

Finishing up the note, Morgan looks over it, once, twice, and Garcia is calling him. He looks over it a final third time before folding it and tucking it safely underneath Reid's blue ceramic coffee mug.

He takes a deep breath, running a hand over his head before managing to get his legs to move. He walks out of his office, meeting up with Garcia, and he's distracted for a moment by her bright green ensemble, as well as the smile she offers him before handing him a case file. 

Morgan flips through it, asking JJ a few questions, and he's doing a damn good job of acting normal considering his stomach has made its way to his throat, heart pounding like someone's hammering it beneath his chest.

He's waiting for what seems like hours.

Glancing up for the hundredth time, he finally sees Reid, and yeah - his stomach's about to come out of his mouth now.

Time seems to distort as he watches Reid make his way to Morgan's office, and okay.

He's either fucked completely or set for the rest of his life and now Morgan has to pretend he's not totally falling apart right in front of JJ as she speaks to him about the case, and Morgan is trying to listen and focus as best he can but she's honestly starting to sound like the adults in _Peanuts_.

Mwa mwa mwa _._

—

Reid sets his satchel down in the chair, taking another sip of his coffee before he notices the paper. He sets his coffee down and pulls it from underneath the mug. There's a weight to it, and Reid notices the slight bulge, furrowing his brows in confusion as he reads the top of the note.

" _I've been working myself up to this for eight months. I probably would have done this a long time ago but I knew your general opinion on it - the whole '5,000 year old antediluvian tradition' thing, and I didn't want to scare you off. But I want it. I want us to be validated, formally. By law. A greater sense of permanence, I guess. I can't imagine you not being in my life and I want to spend the rest of it with you, if you'd let me."_

Suddenly Reid's head is spinning, brain fuzzy around the edges. His heart feels like a butterfly's wing in his chest as he opens the paper the rest of the way. 

" _Marry me?_ " Written in giant, gold letters. The sap. And that's when he sees the ring- a platinum band with satin finish and line detailing on either side.

He continues to stand there; he stands there eyes glued on the ring and he doesn't know what to do next.

Until he sees Morgan standing in the doorway, smiling wide and he still feels made up of television static but he manages to bring his lips together.

"I'm - I, uh...".

"Is that genius talk for something?" Morgan says, and his voice is as soft as his eyes.

Reid swallows and watches Morgan walk toward him, and the space between them is flooded with something tangible.

"What do you say, pretty boy? Does this forever thing sound good to you?"

Not even a second passes before Reid is nodding his head fervently, and grips the ring tightly in his fist before Morgan's hands come around his waist, pulling him close, and the butterfly wing in his chest morphs into a hummingbird.

He brings his arms around Morgan's neck and exhales. Emotion is surging through his body and his heart swells as Morgan pulls back to press their lips together, and Reid's fingertips are tingling against Morgan's skin and he wonders if he deserves this. He doesn't think he does but Morgan is kissing him and he's remembering that time in the hospital with Garcia.

" _I can't hear except for my heart - feels like it's gonna come out. Can that happen? Physically, can your heart burst out of your chest?_ "

**Author's Note:**

> hope you enjoyed! x the poems referenced: at nightfall by charles hanson towne & enthralled by alfred bryan. ALSO the part w/ reid reciting enthralled was inspired by 'and possibly i like the thrill' by lilijuliet. :^) the line at the end references 9x24. feedback is extremely appreciated!


End file.
